No Place Like Home
by Em'sPride
Summary: When the paths of Joan, Luke and Kevin cross in New York, they decide to move back to Arcadia, meeting up with some old skeletons in the closet along the way. Will they confront them, or run away scared? I FIXED THE ENDING. COMPLETE...I hope
1. Big City, Big Worries

Just so you know, I'm not going to continue on In The Beginning for a while. So here's my next one, which I will finish. I've just started holidays here, so I should update fairly often (I hope). However, I'm only going to update after I recieve 4 reviews, so really it's up to you and whether or not you want me to continue.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Girardi's, Arcadia, in fact I own nothing.

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Kevin felt like a failure. He was 27, already going grey, unemployed and living in his sisters two bedroom apartment in the slums of New York. Joan was going alright, with a job as a secretary right in the middle of the city, but could only just pay the rent, with the help of Kevin's pension.

Kevin's life had gone dramatically wrong when he started university. He agreed to participate in an experimental spinal injury operation, but left with his chances of walking again at zero – they had accidentally severed his spinal card during the operation. So he dropped out of his journalism course, and went to live with Joan in the big city. For the past two years, he had hardly been outside of his apartment. New York wasn't the best caterer for those with physical disabilities.

Joan knew that there was something wrong with her brother, and she was sure it was depression. Her deepest fear was to come home one night and find her brother dead after overdosing on painkillers, or slitting his wrists. She had tried to make him see someone, but he denied any help.

Instead he spent his days in a dim room, occasionally surfing the internet, but mainly reading. Joan was constantly borrowing out books from the library. She never knew what he thought of the books, he always claimed he didn't have an opinion on them. Kevin himself knew there was something wrong with him, but he didn't know what. He just felt as though he was in a hole he couldn't get out of.

Another problem was family. Neither Joan nor Kevin talked to their parents or brother anymore. Luke had plans to go off and become some brain surgeon in California, and as far as they knew, their parents were still in Arcadia. Kevin didn't associate with them because they were the ones who encouraged him to have the operation, but he had no idea why Joan didn't. He had never bothered to ask.

Kevin had also picked up a habit…smoking. Joan would often come home to a smoky room. She hated the dusty smell that tickled her nose, but she couldn't make him stop. Joan had no idea where he got the cigarettes from, because she didn't get them for him.

Occasionally Joan would look in the mirror and find it hard to believe she looked so old. Her skin sagged, and her eyes had crow's feet. Her hair was straggly and her eyes were dull. She put it down to the stress of the big city. She had never wanted to move there, but she had to. After her only true love, Adam, had another affair with Bonnie, she couldn't take living in the same town. When she left Arcadia, Adam and her family, she left one other thing – God.

She moved to New York three years ago, and Kevin joined her two and a half years ago. Since then she had changed her name to Joan Hampton, and done absolutely nothing with her life.

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Ok, remember I want 4 reviews before i update! Emily out! 


	2. It's A Small World After All

Ok, next chapter, once again I want four reviews. I put this one up after just three last time, becasue I was eagar to. It would be great if I could get five this time. Hey, if you like, review more than once!

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Joan came home one day to the musty apartment, and entered the dark room. She flicked on the lights, and poured herself a whiskey. She had had a bad day. A really bad day. She was fired. She knew there was no way she and her brother could continue to live in New York with no income. She had also lost purse in a taxi, and had to pay for Kevin's cough medicine he had requested by money given to her by a stranger. She was embarrassed to do so, but Kevin had been getting sick over the last couple of days, and she was afraid his health would deteriorate quickly if she didn't get him some antibiotics.

She entered Kevin's room and was surprised to see he wasn't there. She went into the bathroom, and was shocked to see her brother draped over the toilet seat. He had his eyes closed and was breathing very heavily. Joan ran over to her brother and lifted him back into his chair. Surprisingly it wasn't too hard. She didn't realize how much weight he had lost.

Joan now understood the extent of Kevin's health problems. He probably weighed less than Joan now.

"Kevin, what is wrong?" she asked frantically.

"Don't know," he replied weakly.

"I'm calling the doctor," she said firmly.

Kevin felt too weak to even object to her statement. He was seated, and looked as if it was hard to breathe. Joan was reminded of the days she used to help dress her brother in the weeks directly after the accident. It then occurred to Joan that she had never seen her brother like this before, ever. He was one of those people that never got sick. Joan guessed it was because he was always active.

Joan couldn't understand why the operation had upset Kevin so much. The chances of him walking before were very slim before the surgery. Joan had a sneaking suspicion that there was more to Kevin's problems then he revealed. As Joan thought about this, she muttered to herself; _Where are you now God?_ Joan didn't even care about that anymore, but it was just annoying to her that God would never be around when she needed Him most.

Joan ran to the phone. She rang the first doctor in the phonebook that was in the area. She had never been to the doctor in New York, so the experience was new to her. She quickly dialed the number to Candler General Practitioners. "Yes, I was wondering if I could have a doctor to visit me…no, it's my brother…vomiting, nausea, and I think disorientation…my name, Joan Hampton…21 Staple Road…yes, yes…thank you."

She hung up the phone and raced back to see her brother. She helped him into bed, and got a cold washer and put it on his forehead.

He closed his eyes and fell asleep straight away. Joan sat with him waiting for the doctor for almost an hour when there was a knock at the door. She heaved a sigh of relief, and walked swiftly to the door. She was so relieved that they weren't any longer.

She opened the door. "Oh thank god you're here, my broth…" she stopped dead in her tracks.

The man at the door, with glasses and fair hair did the same. He looked at Joan with utter bewilderment. He hadn't seen her in so long. She thought exactly the same thing about the man. Joan snapped out of her trance.

"Luke, how unexpected…"

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C'mon just five quick reviews! four if you can't manage five. Just review! Please? 


	3. Family Ties

Wow, 16 reviews. Well, keep them coming! It is really satisfying to read your words of support, encouragement and constructive critisism. I want at least another four after this one, or I won't continue. You have been warned. Lol.

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Luke stood at the door. "Oh, sorry, I'm meant to be at Joan Hampton's place…" he said, unsure of how to react.

"Luke, I am Joan Hampton. I changed my name," she said simply.

Luke just stood in the doorway. He hadn't seen his sister in over five years. When he returned from university, she was gone. She still looked the same, except undoubtedly aged.

"I thought you were on the east coast, doing brain surgery or something," said Joan.

"I was, but my plans changed so I moved to New York," said Luke, however he sounded very unconvincing.

"Oh," was all Joan could reply. Then she remembered about why she had called a doctor anyway. "Kevin's in the other room. He's really sick."

"Kevin's here too?" asked Luke.

Joan didn't answer, and instead took him into the bedroom. Kevin was still in bed, but was now sweating heavily, his breathing was staggered and he looked paler than ever. Joan could tell that Luke was shocked to see his brother so sick, so she left the room, while Luke carried out the examination.

Joan sat outside in utter bewilderment. After something like five years, she and Luke just meet up in the most unexpected circumstances. As much as she loved her brother, she wasn't sure how to feel about the whole scenario.

Luke entered the room. The air felt old and stale. He noticed that there were no windows. He walked over to the bed, and saw his older brother lying in bed, muttering, and sweating. Luke felt a wave of sadness roll over him. He felt as though he should have known about this, not just happened to come across him during work like some stranger. He did his examination quickly but thoroughly.

When he emerged, he looked at Joan. "He didn't even wake up. I have never seen him that bad before," he said quietly.

"Yeah, well, he is sick," replied Joan.

"No, I don't mean that, I mean he's thin…and you can see his bones. He smells and he has way too much grey hair for someone his age."

Joan looked at her younger brother closely. He himself had aged a little. For some unknown reason, Joan suddenly felt herself crying. She felt her brothers' arm around her shoulders. She let out uncontrollable sobs. When she had finally calmed down, she looked up at her brother.

"He's been so depressed, ever since his operation was bungled," she cried, "he hasn't been out of the apartment for almost two years. I can't get him to do anything."

Luke looked at his sister in concern. "Well, I'm afraid he's going to have to go to the hospital." He saw his sisters face and continued, "Oh, I think he just has a mild case of pneumonia or maybe bronchitis. He just needs to go in overnight, maybe a little longer. It doesn't help that he smokes either."

"Hang on, why are you doing house calls, and not doing complicated surgery in a hospital? Isn't that what you were doing originally?"

"I'll explain later," replied Luke.

Joan was still feeling concerned over her brother when they piled into Luke's BMW. He drove them to the hospital. Kevin was beginning to become delusional. Joan wasn't sure that he even knew that it was Luke in the car with them.

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Next Chapter: Luke Joan and Kevin make some major decisions and make some interesting discoveries about each others past. But you'll never know moreif you don't review! C'mon, just 4. 


	4. Sickness, Mistakes and Regrets

Oh, you guys are so nice! I'm scared to post chapters in case they don't live up to expectations! Your kind words have been so supportive. Well, here's the next bit, and I still want all your great reviews. So you know, I love every single one I get!

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing

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Kevin woke up in the hospital the next day. He felt much better, but he wasn't sure how he had gotten there. He saw Joan in the chair next to his bed. He called out to her. She jumped a bit at the sudden call, but recovered and went to his bed side.

"Thank goodness you're awake," she murmured,

"What happened?" he asked.

"You were sick, so we got a doctor to check you out. He discovered you had pneumonia. It isn't too bad, and you can go home tomorrow with some antibiotics."

Kevin remained blank. Joan tried to perk him up. "Guess who's here?" she asked

Kevin shrugged.

"Luke!"

Kevin looked amused at the thought. He didn't believe her for a second. So when Luke did enter the room, he was completely shocked.

"Luke," he muttered.

Luke moved over to his brother and gave him a hug. "How's it going mate?"

"Fine."

Luke then updated hi siblings on what he had done over the past couple of years. He had started his degree in surgical medicine, but moved to a general medicine course a year later. He then moved to New York about six months ago. He hadn't spoken to his parents in ages. They all began to realize that they had neglected each other for years. They could hardly call themselves a family. They hadn't a whole family celebration since five years ago at Christmas.

"So nobody knows how mum and dad are?" asked Luke.

"Nope."

Kevin for some reason, got a glazed over look over his eyes, and then without warning, yelled at his siblings. "GET OUT!"

Luke jumped. It was so out of the blue. Joan, however, was used to his outbursts. It had become one of Kevin's character traits. The two younger people stepped out of the room to leave Kevin alone.

They stood outside the door, but they could still hear some soft sobs coming from the room.

Luke turned to Joan, and said "I'm really worried. I think that Kevin is suffering badly from depression. He needs professional help."

Joan just nodded. She'd known that for a long time.

"Joan, I think that we all need some big changes in our life. Don't you find it troublesome that we haven't even seen our parent for years? And let me tell you, you're not the only one in financial trouble. I have so much debt. My house is on the verge of being possessed. That car we came here in? It's a friend's vehicle. Mine was impounded last week," Luke hung his head at this last bit.

"Luke, how did this happen?" asked Joan, shocked at his revelation.

"I don't know. I guess I just slowly dug a bit of trouble for myself."

"Oh, Luke, how did you do that?" said Joan slowly, putting an arm around her upset brother.

Luke didn't answer, but instead hung his head lower than ever.

Joan now knew one thing was for sure – the Girardi family didn't have to worry about falling apart.

It had already had.

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OK, you guys know what I want - 4 reviews before I post the next chapter, but the way things are going, I don't have to worry about getting too few! 


	5. Revelations

Ok, so this chapter is basically a filler, so it's not too interesting, but it sort of ties the story together. I still want reviews, but this time I want 6. I am desperate for inspiration. C'mon, you can do it!

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing

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Joan took Kevin home the next day, along with some antibiotics. Joan had also been able to set up an appointment with a depression specialist for Kevin. He was prescribed some medication. Joan was so relieved. She honestly didn't think she could take living with him for much longer. 

Joan and Kevin arrived home to find an envelope pinned to their door. It was the one Joan had been dreading.

_Dear Miss Joan Hampton_

_You have failed to pay the last 4 weeks rent. Due to housing demands in New York, we cannot afford to keep tenants in Sunshine Apartment who do not pay their bills. It has come to our attention that this is your forth notice, so in order to be fair to prospective buyers, we are giving you five days notice to move out, and two months to repay the unpaid rent. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact the reception on 555-456-123._

_Thank You,_

_Danny Smith_

_(Manager of Sunshine Apartments, New York)_

Joan read the letter over and over again. She didn't understand why this was happening to her. There was almost no possible way for her to stay in New York, where housing cost way too much for a single woman looking after her twenty-seven-year-old brother.

She took out her keys and tried to open the door, but the landlord had changed the locks. Joan leant against the wall, and slowly slid down as tears tumbled from her frightened eyes. Kevin lifted her up on to his lap, and gave her a hug. He hadn't even seen the letter, but he knew what it said.

He felt as though it was his fault. He had come and been selfish enough to occupy Joan's house, survive on her income and place the burden of himself on her. He too, was soon weeping. "I'm so sorry…I'm sorry," he cried to Joan.

After sitting in shock in hallway of Sunshine Apartments for almost half an hour, Joan picked up her mobile, and called the only person she knew could help; Luke.

When she told him about the eviction notice, Luke asked her and Kevin around to discuss their situation. Joan quickly drove to her little brothers home.

Luke greeted them at the door and invited them inside. It was in a standard neighbourhood, and was a standard two-storey house. Kevin and Joan entered the house carefully.

Looking around they could see that it was missing a lot of things. For instance, Joan noted that there was no lounge to be seen, and his TV was a tiny black and white one. Luke led his siblings to the small aging table in the daggy kitchen.

They sat around the table snacking on stale biscuits Luke had gotten from the cupboard. He looked at Kevin and Joan in the eye, and said very seriously, "We can't live this way,"

Joan and Kevin knew this was true. Joan didn't make enough money to live in New York, and Kevin was restricted to what he could do, due to his wheelchair. Even though this was the case in most places, in smaller towns at least he could go places without people bustling past him. That was why this was the first time (excluding the hospital) that he had been outside the apartment. Inside he could keep to himself, reading his books.

Joan nodded to her brother. Luke then continued, "I am about to be evicted myself. So I can't offer you my home to stay in while you get back on your feet, but I think our problems are more than that. We need a new start I think. I can work my way out of debt, Kevin can rebuild his life, and Joan, and you can just start again. It's what we need."

Kevin muttered "Arcadia."

Joan could feel herself nodding, but she didn't really want to. She didn't want to revisit her past, and she didn't want to see her parents, after lying to them…

Luke was equally as apprehensive about this thought, but it seemed to be the only option for the siblings. He would have to simply forget Grace and move on…

Kevin, however, wasn't exactly apprehensive, more regretful about his statement. After his operation, he had had a huge fight with his parents, and he vowed never to talk to them again. And he had been going well up until this point. But he supposed it was time for forgive and forget. As the oldest child, it was his job to lead the others by example. It was time to take the first step, well…roll, and put the lies, the fighting and betrayal behind them.

What Kevin didn't realize, was that he was just laying these things out for them, ready to trip over…

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Look foward to reading your reviews. Love Em! 


	6. What He Did

Hey guys! Thankyou yet again for all of your reviews. Lovely to hear from you. Anyway, in this chapter I am going to reveal a major secret, so get ready. It didn't quite come out like I had hoped, but it gets the idea across I think.

DISCLAIMER: I no characters or settings,or anything else for that matter.

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Three days later, the three siblings piled into a rented car. They had very few belongings between them. It was a solid four hour drive to get to Arcadia. Luke said He would drive the entire way. Joan had no objections. She just couldn't believe that she was actually going back to Arcadia. She had vowed she never would. Not after what had happened. It would be too painful to dig up those old memories. She shuddered at the very thought.

As they crossed through the state border, Luke suddenly asked Joan a question she had been dreading.

"So, why did you leave Arcadia?"

Joan felt the blood rush from her head. Her palms felt all sweaty and she was sure her brothers could tell. She stumbled on her answer, and it can out in a high, distrusting voice. "Um…ch-change of, um, er, scenery." It didn't fool Kevin or Luke for a second.

"Joan, c'mon, tell us," pleaded Luke.

"We won't tell," added Kevin.

Joan looked at the two men, and suddenly realised this WAS the reason why she had to leave Arcadia. She didn't trust people. So she hesitantly took a deep breath, and told her story.

"Well, you know about the whole Bonnie and Adam thing, right?"

The boys nodded. Luke could remember how angry she was at Adam. "Yeah, but you got back with Adam in the end, anyway, right?" asked Luke.

Joan nodded and then continued. "Well after we got back together, he promised to never lie or cheat again. I believed him, I really did. Anyway for a few months everything was fine.

"However, one day I was going out to work, and I decided to go a different way to my usual one. It happened to go via Bonnie's house. As I went past, I saw Adam coming out of her house. I was so angry. I stopped the car, and went inside, to talk to, or strangle, Bonnie.

"I went knocked on the door, and her step-father answered. I think he was drunk. He told me that Bonnie had gone out. She must have slipped out the back. Brent, that's Bonnie's step-father, asked what was wrong 'cause I must have had a red face from being angry. I decided to tell him, so he would realize what a cow Bonnie was.

"After that, I stood to leave, but Brent grabbed my arm and pulled me down. He said something about never insulting his step-daughter. I tried to get away but he wouldn't let me…"

Kevin and Luke were both deadly silent; they couldn't believe what their sister was telling them. They didn't think it could be true. Luke, who was driving, actually pulled up on the side of the road. Joan herself had watery eyes, but continued anyway.

"He hit me over the face about three times, and then kicked me in the shins. I fell to the floor. All I remember after that was how much it hurt. I don't know how many times he hit me, or how long but I know when I left, I was hurting all over

"When he finally let me go outside, I saw Bonnie sitting on the gutter. I went over to her, to try and tell her off, but when I got over there, I noticed her lip was bleeding. She looked up at me, and began to cry. She told me about how her step-father hit her.

"She explained how Adam had gone over to her house to make sure she was okay. He had seen her Brent hit her before, and didn't want it to keep going. That's why he went around that night, to check on Bonnie, not to hook up with her…"

Joan hung her head with shame.

Kevin broke the icy silence by tentatively asking, "He didn't, you know…touch you, did he?"

Joan shook her head.

"But, I was still at home when this happened. How come I never knew?" asked Luke sadly. He didn't think anything like this could happen without him noticing.

"You remember that time I fell down the stairs after work…" said Joan softly.

A look of apprehension crossed Luke's face. His mouth formed a small O-shape.

"So that's why you moved to New York?" asked Kevin.

"Yeah," replied Joan. "I then changed my name so that Brent couldn't find me. I don't think he would have tried, but it's better safe then sorry, hey?" she said meekly.

"But I thought you had a fight with mum, and that was why you left?" questioned Luke.

Joan sighed. She hadn't bargained on pulling up these thoughts so soon. "Well," she began, "We actually had a fight because I was moving. She thought I was too young and too immature to go out on my own. Looking back now, I can sort of understand where she was coming from," she said thoughtfully.

"Anyway, dad agreed with her, and they tried to make me stay, but I left anyway. They told me I wouldn't have a room if I came back…I hope they have forgiven me."

Kevin, who was sitting in the back, didn't know what to say. First he heard how his sister had been physically assaulted, and then found out that his parents had abandoned their only daughter. He didn't think it sounded possible. And he was also ashamed that this was the first he had ever heard about any of it. He was becoming more and more worried about what was in store for them in Arcadia. Luke started the engine back off, and they continued to Arcadia.

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Wow, that was longer than I expected. Please review. Let's try get 5 this time. Love always, Em. 


	7. Where Are They Now?

AQlright. Time for the next installment. Here we go

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing!

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Joan, Luke and Kevin crossed into Maryland at about 4 that afternoon. They passed the high school, the library, the newspaper, the police station and finally pulled up in front of their old house. Luke whizzed up to the front door, knocked and waited for a reply while Joan helped Kevin get out of the car.

Luke was still waiting at the door when Joan and Kevin made it up the stairs.

"Do you reckon they're still at work?" asked Luke.

Joan and Kevin shrugged in unison, but the next moment the handle of the door turned, and a tall, elderly, black man was standing at the door, and was soon joined by his wife, who was equally as tall and dark. The Girardi children looked at each other, unsure what to do. It was obvious that these people were no there parents.

"Um…I think we have the wrong house," said Luke, "we're looking for Will and Helen Girardi."

The man remained silent.

Joan had a go at explaining. "We used to live here…"

The man still didn't appear to understand, but the woman looked at them warmly as comprehension set across her face, and said "We're friends of theirs. I'm Judy and this is Ken. They still live here; we are just here to help look after the house while Helen recovers."

"What?" asked Kevin in a scandalous voice.

"Helen? She had a stroke about six weeks ago," said Ken, finally breaking his silence.

"Oh my God," said Joan quietly.

"Well, how can we help you?" asked Judy.

"Um, we're her children," said Kevin, still trying to understand what was going on.

Judy's face suddenly had a look of pity on it. The three children had already noticed that her facial expressions were always extreme and would quickly change. "Well, I guess you want to see her then, don't you?" she asked.

The three looked at the woman carefully. Finally Luke spoke up. "Yeah, of course."

"You go first Luke. I'll get out the stuff from the car and Kevin can help." Luke shrugged, and followed Judy upstairs. He looked back at his brother and sister, still on the verandah with Ken standing over them like a pole.

He was nervous about what he was going to see. Would his mother be awake, or asleep? Would she be able to move, would she be able to speak? He honestly had no idea.

He finally reached the top of the stairs, and was lead to his parents room. The door was closed.

Judy turned to him, this time hr face was full of obvious fake happiness. "Well, she's just in here. Take your time, love. I'll go see what these others are doing. Give me a call if you need anything."

Luke nodded, and waited until she had gotten to the bottom of the stairs, before turning the doorknob, and entering his parents room.

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C'mon, make an Aussie happy, and just review! I won't update until I have 4! And I can guarantee the next chapter will be long! Your pal, Em. 


	8. It's Been So Long

OK, well the next chapter won't be up for a while, because I posted the others sooner than expected. I shouldn't be too much longer than a week I hope.

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing at all.

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Luke entered the room, expecting the worst, but was surprised to see his mother sitting at the old desk, reading a book.

"Oh, mum!" exclaimed Luke.

Helen looked up at the sound of her son's voice.

"Luke!" she cried.

Luke and Helen embraced each other for a long time, until Luke whispered in her ear "Oh, I thought you were going to be so sick. Judy just told us you had a stroke," he said, feeling his eyes beginning to water.

Helen pulled away from her son, and said to him, "Oh, you've met Judy and Ken. Good. Yeah, I had a small stroke. It wasn't too serious. I guess they told you I still needed looking after, hey? They'll use any excuse to stay," she said breaking off in a laugh.

Luke gave a feeble smile back. Helen said "Well, enough about me; tell me what you've been up to. And why haven't I heard from you in so long, mister? I've missed you!"

Luke told his mother about the years since he left home, excluding the part where he lost all of his money. Helen beamed at her son. "I always knee you'd be a doctor," she said proudly.

Luke smiled, "Um, mum, I came here with Joan and Kevin…"

Helen' face suddenly fell. "Oh, I don't suppose that Kevin will want to see me. I was pretty pushy. I don't think Joan will fancy it either. We never made up you know?"

Luke gave a slight nod. "Well, I think Kevin wants to see you. He was the one who suggested it. He's had a few …problems lately. I think he needs a bit of motherly guidance. And I'm sure Joan will forgive you if you forgive her. It'll be fine."

Helen made no comment, so Luke said, "I'll go get one of them."

Luke raced down stairs and told Joan and Kevin that they could go and see Helen. Kevin hastily said "I'll go!' To Luke it sounded eager, but Joan knew it was mainly to get out of the eerie stare of the silent Ken.

Kevin made the trip upstairs for the first time in years. He guessed his mother was still in the same room she had always been in. He wheeled into her room, and was met abruptly by Helen herself.

Helen flung her arms around Kevin. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," she kept sobbing. And to his surprise, he cried back, He just wanted to be young again and climb onto his mothers lap, and just cry into her shoulder. He didn't feel as alone as he had for the past two years. His mothers warm chest was comforting to him. The two remained like this for several minutes. Kevin simply said "I forgive you,"

Helen looked at her son, and hugged him harder.

"You've gotten so thin!" she cried.

"Yeah, I just had pneumonia. And I haven't exactly been eating or exercising very well," Kevin said thoughtfully.

Helen nodded, and just savoured the moment. Her baby boy was finally back home.

Joan waited downstairs for half an hour, organizing her thoughts. Luke had told her that their mother wasn't critically ill, but she still wasn't sure about what she might look like. She trudged upstairs to wait. She was heading towards her old room when Kevin came out of their parents room. His eyes were red and puffy, but somehow he looked happier than he had in years.

He said softly to Joan, "Just go and see her,"

Joan took a deep breath and sighed. She guessed she should really see her mother, seeing as she had a near death experience.

She entered the room. Her mother was sitting on the edge of the bed, and looked as though she was trying to remember a speech. Indeed, when Joan entered the room, Helen looked up her daughter and started off.

"Joan, I am so sorry about what I did. I was wrong. You had every right to go off and venture on our own. The truth is, I didn't want to let you go. And neither did your dad. I promise you, the only reason I wanted you home was because you were too young to grow up. But you were old enough to let go. I should have realized that. I'm sorry,"

"Mum, I will forgive you, but I also must apologise. I was wrong, and now I need you. I really need you. And I know Kevin and Luke need you too. So can we forget the past, forever? I want to start over." Joan said as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Helen looked at her daughter. She had grown up. She wasn't her little girl anymore.

"Of course,"

When Joan and Helen came down the stairs, Will had just arrived home. Joan ran to her father, along with Luke and Kevin. They all thought the same thing. At last, this is all behind us.

But was it?

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Next chapter: Ok, so the Girardi's have forgiven each other, but it's going to take them a lot longer to forget. And there are certain people who are also involved in this debacle. And some of Luke's secret will be revealed, next time on No Place Like Home.

Love your reviews, let's go for a record! Let's go for 8! I know you can do it! Or am I overly ambitious? Oh well. Until next time, I'm Em's Pride.


	9. A Day At the Races

Do all countries have lotto? Well, we do here (I'm an Aussie for those wondering). If you don't know what it is, it's kinda like bingo. Too hard to explain in detail. What about scratchies? Look it up if you don't know. I'm not here to give a speech on Aussie culture. Thanks for all the reviews.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing

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That night, there was lots of laughter and tears came from the Girardi household. Joan, Luke and Kevin were all ecstatic to be home. Life couldn't be sweeter. Even Judy and Ken, who had never seen the family together, knew that they were acting as if they finally had something worth living for in the world.

Helen and Will had also felt as though they had been brought together by their children. Since they had all left home all those years ago, the couple had felt torn. Finally the family was happy, and together.

Three weeks past, and things only got better. Joan found a job at a motel in the next town which was only a short drive away. Luke was still officially unemployed, but was in line for a job at the hospital. Kevin had completely recovered from pneumonia, and was a lot happier due to medication, and counseling.

Helen had recovered well from the stroke, although she used her right arm a little stiffly.

Judy and Ken were still hanging around, saying that they needed to help with the house. Nobody really minded. Something about Ken's silence and Judy's fake moods comforted the Girardi's.

Helen and Luke were out shopping to buy things for a barbeque that night. It was the first time they were alone together since the first afternoon in Arcadia. Luke had to admit to himself, that things were more awkward than he would have thought. They didn't seem to have anything to talk about. Thankfully they had already done the shopping, and just had to drive home.

Helen had a brave stab at conversation on the way out of the shopping centre.

"So um…why did you leave your job in New York?" said Helen, but she noticed her son had begun to blush, so she quickly added "I mean, didn't you like your job?"

Luke suddenly felt dizzy. He couldn't discuss this with his mother. Not now anyway, not when he was so close to escaping his past sins. He knew his mother would not be impressed. Instead of answering the question he was asked, he shrugged very half-heartedly.

As if on cue, his mother went over to a newsagent, and asked for a lotto ticket. Luke glanced at the ticket, and the scratchies. He was so tempted to but a ticket. He thought back to California, when he was still at university. He couldn't go back to his old ways. He couldn't start gambling again. He didn't want more people chasing him for money.

Helen looked at her son with concern. "What's wrong love?" she asked concernedly.

Luke looked at his mother. He himself had never been one for lying, especially to parents, and he wasn't about to change that.

"Mum, I had a gambling problem…in California," he replied uncomfortably. There, it was out. Surely his mother would understand.

Helen's mouth gaped open and closed, but no words came out, so Luke continued.

"I was at university in California, and I went to the races one day with some friends, just for fun. Anyway I won some money, and I kept going back. It was fine at first. I made over ten thousand dollars in the first six months.

"But one day, I placed a bet on a horse in a race. I was on a roll, so I guess I thought I couldn't lose. But I did – big time…

Helen broke in at this stage. "Oh Luke, how much did you lose?"

Luke looked at his mother, but looked away before he answered. " Seventeen thousand.."

Helen looked at her son in shock. "Seven…seventee…sev…" she didn't seem to be able to say the words.

The two walked away from the news agency. "Luke, you have to do something!" cried Helen. To Luke this was unnecessary. He knew he had to do something. "What can I do?" he asked. Helen gave a subtle shrug. She hated it when she couldn't help her children. It made her feel so useless.

"Well, I'm sure they'll understand. Can't you just explain to them?"

"Mum, I don't think they'll understand."

"What if I had a talk to them…?"

"Mum, no! These guys have links to the mafia. The MAFIA, okay. I don't think they're just going to give up because my mummy asked them not to. I don't think I need any death threats on my mother. No, I have to just find a way to pay them back. I don't know how, but I'll do it.

"Geeze, I was just trying to help. Are they threatening you?" said Helen, first scathingly, but then concernedly.

But Luke had heard enough. He blocked out his mothers voice and concentrated on putting the groceries in the trolley.

The two endured the icy silence on the way home. Luke was highly embarrassed, and Helen just wanted to figure out a way to help him. She knew she didn't have that kind of money just floating around.

* * *

Woah, that was fun. Love it, hate it? Tell me, and review! 


	10. The Author

Oh, C'mon guys. I want more reviews than that. Let's go back to the four reviews before I update. I know your busy, but please, I am addicted to getting reviews know. Don't stop! I love tham all.

DISCLAIMER: I own no JoA stuff, or anything else for that matter

* * *

When Helen and Luke got home, Kevin, Judy and Ken were sitting in the lounge room, engrossed in their individual activities. Judy was knitting furiously. Ken was sitting rigidly in the reclining chair watching a football game, and Kevin was reading a book, occasionally looking up to yell at the players on the television.

"Oh, what kind of pass was that?" he yelled loudly as Helen and Luke entered the house.

"Oh, hey mum, Luke," said Kevin, before falling back into his book.

Luke would have laughed at the scene normally. He knew Kevin had taken up reading, but he had never seen him in action. Years ago, when they were just teens, Kevin would have laughed at Luke for doing the very same thing. Now, however, he wasn't in a laughing mood. Helen still hadn't said anything more to him about the gambling.

They entered the kitchen with bags piled up in their arms. "Mum, I'm sorry," said Luke softly.

Helen looked at him. "Did you move to Arcadia for money?" she asked stonily.

Luke shook his head.

"But that's why you moved to New York, am I right?"

Luke looked away, and nodded.

Helen walked over to her son and gave him a big hug. "As long as you didn't expect that your father and I would pay for your mistake, I am prepared to help," she said compassionately. She was beginning to feel sorry for her son. Kevin and Joan had stuffed up more times than him, but Helen had always readily forgiven them. She guessed she was so angry at Luke because he was meant to be the roll model child. So he made a little mistake, now that the Girardi's were back together, Helen felt that they could solve any problem.

"So what about all that money you said you won when you first started betting?" she asked.

"Well, I used it for my university fees, and to bet some more," he said shamefully.

"Well at least you didn't blow it on something stupid," she said thoughtfully.

At that moment, Kevin rolled into the kitchen with his book in his lap. He put the book on the kitchen bench, face down to mark his page.

"Blow what on what?" he asked.

"Never mind," said Luke.

"Okay then. Hey did you buy some peanut butter? I am craving a peanut butter and honey sandwich!"

Helen passed him the large bottle of peanut butter, and Kevin set to making his sandwich.

"So what did you get for the barbeque?" he asked with his mouth full of bread.

"Well, we got sausages, steak, chicken wings…" said Luke, but Kevin's attention was reverted to his mother who was staring at the book he was reading earlier. She had a look of comprehension on her face.

"What a coincidence..." she muttered, not taking her eyes off the book for a second.

"What?" asked Kevin impatiently. Helen picked up the book and studied its cover.

"Hey," shouted Kevin, "you lost my page!"

"Where did you get this book?" she asked.

Kevin looked annoyed but answered anyway.

"Umm, that one was from my therapist. It's about…" he stopped to take the book out of his mothers hands and read the blurb, "'_the effects of drugs, alcohol and other addictives on the wider community, and successful modern techniques to stop these habits._' Well that's what the author, Dr. H. K. Whitehouse says. She's meant to be some local writer. See, I'm giving up smoking," he finished rather proudly. "Why, have you read it?"

"What? No. It's just quite amazing. Dr. H. K. Whitehouse is just a pen name…"

"What that's not amazing," said Kevin, "I used to use a pen name for the newspaper, remember?"

Helen ignored Kevin, and instead turned to Luke. "I know how to solve your problem," she said excitedly.

"What problem?" asked Kevin.

He was ignored again, and Helen continued. "Dr. H. K. Whitehouse is the pen name of…Grace Polk!"

She didn't get the reaction she had hoped for. Kevin just popped the last bit of sandwich in his mouth and chewed furiously. Luke looked a little hurt almost, but didn't do anything.

"How's that going to help me?" he asked quizzically.

Helen didn't answer Luke directly, but instead said, "I think we should have her over for the barbeque…"

* * *

Let's do it! Four tiny weeny reviews! Together we can make a difference. This is Em reporting for Em'sPride News...lol just kidding. Let's go and review! 


	11. Grace

Luke had no idea why Grace would help his problem. He wasn't particularly planning on meeting with her. They hadn't seen each other in years, and no doubt there would be old tensions lurking.

Helen volunteered to call Grace. After the phone call, she announced that Grace would be attending the barbeque, that had a scheduled start of five o'clock.

Five o'clock rolled around, ad it was time for the invited guests to start arriving at the Girardi residence. First to arrive was a couple of Will's work colleagues, and was quickly followed by some of Helen's friends, Fiona and Gloria, and Fiona's daughter Heidi.

After fifteen minutes, about twenty people had arrived, but Luke hadn't seen Grace. The doorbell rang, and Luke proceeded to answer it. Standing in the door was a slim, tall, blond woman, wearing and expensive looking dressy top, over neat black trousers. On her feet were sparkly green shoes with three inch heels. Luke's stare then traveled back to the woman's face, and realised that it was Grace.

"Grace," he breathed.

Grace gave out an impossibly fake smile, and flashed her artificially whitened teeth at Luke, through her bright red lips. "Hello, Luke" she said calmly.

Luke led Grace inside, to catch up. She explained that she took a university course in psychology. Grace told Luke that about two years ago she struck a deal with a publisher in London, who put her book on the public market. Luke found it so hard to believe that Grace had become so commercialized. She sat in a very ladylike fashion and spoke impeccably, using only Luke's first name. No Girardi or geek.

"Anyway, now I live in Arcadia Hills, with my maid. So what have you been up to? Your mother told me that you needed some sort of help."

Luke felt a little dumbfounded and it took him a moment to answer. He explained how he was now a GP, but didn't want to say anything about his money problems. He wasn't about to ask her for seventeen thousand dollars. But Grace was unrelenting. "What is it you want?"

Luke stared at her, unable to tell her. It would be so wrong to ask her for the money. It would be alright if he hadn't gone away, but if he hadn't he wouldn't need to ask. Their conversation or lack there of, was interrupted by Will, announcing that tea was ready. Grace and Luke accepted the call as a way to avoid the awkward silences.

Outside, most of the people were already eating. Grace and Luke tucked in. Meanwhile, Kevin was helping himself to a large portion of salad. He was finally beginning to put on some weight. As he was spooning the tomato onto his plate, he felt something bump into his arm, sending the soggy salad flying.

He looked up and saw a pretty blond girl looking down at him, blushing furiously, and apologizing quickly.

"No, no, it's okay," he said calmly.

The girl continued to apologise, until Kevin decided enough was enough and broke her off by saying loudly over her words, "It's OKAY!"

The girl then took a deep breath, and said once, "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it,"

"See, I'm really clumsy, and I am constantly bumping into things, and I didn't see you there," the girl flustered on, "I mean, I should look where I'm going."

Kevin looked at the girl, still deciding whether to laugh or just roll away.

"Sorry, you probably think I'm a fool. Oh, I do this all the time. Put myself in awkward situations, that is. I'm Heidi by the way," she said putting a petite hand out in front of Kevin.

Kevin shook Heidi's hand carefully, just to make sure she didn't accidentally knock the bowl of lettuce onto his lap. "I'm Kevin. You're Fiona's daughter, right?"

Heidi nodded and in the meantime, was also waving a fork around dangerously. Kevin ushered her towards the nearest chair before she poked someone's eye out.

She sat down, and Kevin moved a chair, and parked beside her. "Who are you here with?" she asked politely, whilst spilling tomato sauce on her shirt.

"Oh, I'm Helen and Will's son," he said mechanically.

"Oh, okay. How old are you?" she asked, rather out of the blue.

"Twenty-seven,"

As it turned out, Heidi was twenty-six.

"Wow, we must have almost been at high school at the same time then," Kevin quickly explained that he went to school in Arizona.

The two were deeply engrossed in conversation by the end of the night. The same could not be said about Luke and Grace. They were sitting next to each other, but didn't share a word. Grace just sat and nibbled on her lettuce and carrot, what she used to call rabbit food, and Luke just pushed his food around with his fork.

Helen saved Luke form silence once again, this time to hand over the phone.

Luke took the phone, and said hello.

"Girardi, we know where you are. We're coming to get our money in three days. You better have it," said the voice on the other end of the line before they hung up.

Luke held the phone to his face, in complete shock. It took him a full five minutes to recover, and head back outside. He saw Grace talking on her mobile phone rather aggressively.

He waited until she put down the phone before approaching her. He was preparing to ask her. He sat next to her, but before he could say anything, she launched into a speech about stupid employees and useless accountants.

He never said asked her after that. The opportunity didn't come. He wasn't sure that seeing Grace was such a good idea. He didn't know what his mother was thinking. He couldn't just ask his high school sweet heart for thousands of dollars. He just couldn't.

But as he saw Grace walk out the door later that night, he didn't know what other choice he had.


	12. Seventeen Thousand Dollars

Sorry it took me so long to update. I'm back at school, and I' taking a heap of extension classes, so the homework flow is rather high, and yesterday I read the new Harry Potter book! It took me 10 hours, but I did it in one day! I was awesome. I highly recommend it! Anyway, we're nearing the end, but I think there's still a few stwists that you may not see coming…

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, nothing, nothing.

* * *

Three days. That was all that he had. How could he get seventeen thousand dollars in three days? It seemed impossible. He knew no one who had that much money to spare, except Grace, but he couldn't ask her. She seemed so distant and fake.

Luke seemed to notice every minute, every second slip by. He was beginning to crack. Kevin saw it; Will saw it and Helen saw it. Joan might have seen it, if only she hadn't suddenly become so preoccupied. What she was preoccupied with, no one really knew, until two days later.

The family, plus Judy and Ken, were sitting around the table having morning tea, which consisted of Judy's overcooked biscuits. Will had asked innocently enough if Joan had caught up with Adam. Joan had almost choked on the biscuit she was eating.

"Adam?" she said, trying to sound as if the very thought of Adam was in the past. "Yeah, I saw him yesterday. Beautiful kids. Is it Eliza and Michael? And his wife Hilary, she is a really nice girl."

"Oh," said Will, "so you've met the Rove clan? They really are a perfect family."

Will was obviously being a typical man and took no notice as Joan flinched at those words. Joan was being a typical woman and pretended that it didn't hurt. The truth was it hurt her a lot. She had never had a boyfriend since Adam, and she wasn't sure if she could just accept that he had a wife and two gorgeous children.

Helen sensed the danger in the conversation, so instead turned to Luke. "Luke, you've been acting odd lately. Everything alright?" she asked in a very motherly way.

Luke jumped at the sound of his name. "What, yeah I'm fine, just great, I'm dandy in fact. I think I'm just going to get a water of glass…I mean a glass of water. Yeah, I'll go pay th…I mean get that."

Luke felt his palms sweating, and his heart pounding. He knew that if these guys came to get him, he'd be living in the Arcadia Hospital for Invalids and the Brain Dead, or at the very least, he would be getting wheelchair tips off Kevin.

He retreated to the kitchen, and steadied himself on the bench. He then sat down, and thought hard. He knew that he was putting not only himself at risk, but also his family and friends. He had to do something. It was not going to take care of itself.

He ran through various ridiculous ideas; selling his soul on eBay, win a dodge ball competition, enter his family in a singing competition, but none of these seemed somehow useable.

He knew he needed a solution fast. He realised that there was only one realistic answer; Grace. As much as he didn't ant to, he had to. Who knows, if he didn't pay up, Grace could be in danger herself. He waited in the kitchen for ten extra minutes, and then went back out to his family.

"I'm just going for a drive," he said.

"Where are you going?" asked Helen, raising her eyebrows slightly.

"Um, Grace's," he said quietly.

Now Helen's eyebrows were raised to an extreme level, but she remained silent.

Luke gave one last glance at his family and then ducked out of the house, and exited the front door. He sat in the car and retrieved the pocket phonebook that was kept in there, and found Grace's address. 321 Hillview Drive, Arcadia Hills.

Luke only had a vague idea where that was, but after driving around the area for awhile, he pulled up in front of a large two story house, with massive gates, that were covered in thick twisting vines. Luke wasn't as surprised as he normally would have been about seeing a house of its caliber, but the surrounding houses were just as large as the Grace's, if not larger, so it didn't seem too out of the ordinary.

Luke parked outside the house, and rang the bell that was hiding under some overgrown vines on one of the pillars that held up the gate. After about thirty seconds, a females voice answered. "Hello, who's calling?"

Luke immediately knew it wasn't Grace. This voice was breathy and light. Grace's was full, and more robust.

"Uh, hi. Um…I was wondering if I could speak to Miss Polk…err…Polonski…wait, um, Whitehouse. I'm Luke Girardi"

There was a long pause, and finally the voice answered back, "You may enter." The gates began to open, and Luke got back into his car, and entered into the property.

He parked the car and walked up to the front door, which was huge, with a big brass knocker and matching handle.

He rang the doorbell, and Grace was a t the door in no time.

"Hi Girardi. I was hoping to see you," she said happily.

Luke was once again dumbfounded by her look, but this time because she was so…Grace. Her hair was messy and pushed up into a messy ponytail, although it didn't quite hide the extensive highlights. Her manicured nails had polish on them, although it was chipped. And best of all, Luke thought to himself, she had no makeup on.

Her reception today was much warmer. She pulled him into a passionate hug, and it was several minutes before Grace released Luke.

She must have noticed his expression, so she explained as she led Luke into a different room.

"I was so sure you wouldn't be back. Not after the way I acted at the barbeque. I hate going out. People are always harassing me, asking for advice and stuff. What would they think if I went out in my trackies and bed hair? So that's why I had to be like that at the party."

Luke nodded, but inside he was more relieved than he let on. At least there was a reason for Grace's behaviour.

Grace stopped in a kitchen, about three times the size of his parents. Grace got some milk and some Anzac biscuits for the two.

They sat talking for a while, although not about much. The weather and silly things like that. Then they endured a few minutes silence, in which time Luke's palms began to sweat. Then they spoke about New York and Arcadia. Another pregnant pause, and now Luke felt his heart begin to pound. It was after the third pause, when Luke had felt a vein in his head start pumping that Grace asked him what was wrong.

He started to say nothing, but stopped himself. He had to tell her. The sooner he did the sooner he could leave the house and start afresh.

He clenched his eyes shut and grit his teeth. He took a deep breath, and prepared himself to lose Grace's respect.

"Inesevtinthouanddoss," he mumbled.

"What?" asked Grace vaguely.

Luke took a second breath, and said a little more confidently, "I need seventeen thousand dollars."

At first Luke thought he was going to get a slap around the face, but Grace's face quickly turned into one of pity. "Oh geek, what did you do?"

* * *

Next Chapter: What does Grace do? And finally, I am going to say something more about Adam. Yay! Anyway, till next time, have a great time! **And I want 4 reviews!**


	13. Cheques, New Bells and Old Flames

Alright, here's the lowdown. Four more chapters, and a...durn,durn,durn! DEATH. Who is it. You may never know if your don't review. I want at least four!

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.

* * *

Grace calmly got out a cheque book and scrawled her signature and the words "Seventeen thousand dollars". She handed it over, not quite looking at Luke. Just like that. No questions asked. Luke was glad for that. He was too ashamed to tell Grace how he lost all of the money.

"I promise I will pay you back every last cent," he said, with definition in his voice.

Grace nodded, and then finally spoke. "Luke, I don't want to know why you need the money, but is that the reason you came? Back to Arcadia, that is?"

"Grace, of course not," said Luke quickly, as he saw a tear fall form in Grace's eyes. "I came back because I needed a new start. I didn't even know you still lived here. I didn't even know that you had a book out…" Luke was going to continue, but he was stopped by Grace pulling him into another hug across the table.

"I love you Luke, But just promise me, you will never, ever pay that money back. I want that money to be ours…not mine or yours. Ours - let's get married…"

Meanwhile, back at the Girardi residence, Joan was also making some rash decisions. Thanks to her father, she was thinking about Adam. He was so happy with his new family. Joan thought about it while the rest talked about Kevin's baseball final of 1999. Joan didn't even have to listen to know what they were going on about. That final had been brought up so often in the past, she knew it in detail.

She understood that there was no way that she could be with Adam now. He was out of reach. Joan sort of knew it was her fault for moving away. She shouldn't have run away form Brent and Bonnie. She should have realised that Adam deserved to be forgiven and trusted, but she didn't, so she had stuffed up their future.

But maybe it wasn't too late to make amends. Was it ever too late? Joan jumped up from her seat, and ran outside and got in her fathers car, as Luke had taken their mothers. She then realised she had no idea where Adam lived. His shop was on the main street, but she doubted that he lived there too. But she was desperate so she gave it a shot.

She pulled up in front of the shop, but it had a closed sign up. She went up to the door, and pounded on it for a while, until a wave of either dizziness or emotion (she wasn't sure which one) hit her like a tonne of bricks. Joan steadied herself against the door, as she was now crying uncontrollably. She didn't know why she was, but it felt good to release all the anger she had in her heart. She sunk to the ground, and put her head in her hands. She needed to see Adam. She wanted him to know that she wasn't angry or anything.

She sat in front of the shop for a good hour. She was beginning to get cold, when a harsh voice said, "If you can't stay out of my doorway, I can recommend a good homeless shelter downtown!" The person was male and very angry.

Joan looked up with her puffy eyes, and whispered disbelievingly, "Adam?"

Adam's expression immediately softened.

"Jane," he cried softly, "I didn't realise it was you," he finished, almost regretfully.

Adam sat down next to Joan. "Cha, what's wrong Jane?" he asked, just like he used to all those years ago.

Joan looked into Adam's soft brown eyes. "I'm sorry for leaving," she managed to say.

"That's okay Joan. I understand. Bonnie told me what happened. I tried to find you, but you were gone so quickly."

"You tried to find me?" she said.

Adam nodded, and wrapped his hands around Joan's face. "You were the love of my life. How could I let you just walk away?"

"I'm the love of your life?"

"You _were_ the love of my life. But since Hilary, I've discovered one person can have more than one soul mate. The sad truth is that you did leave, and when Hilary came along, I felt love that I had never felt since you. And know we're happy, with two beautiful children, and we live a happy life."

Joan felt a tear run down her face.

"So we were never special? I was just a teenage thing?"

"No, didn't I just explain that? You were the love of my life, but there is more than one person for everyone. What we had was special, but what me and Hilary is just as special."

Joan wasn't sure she understood what was going on. Was Adam still in love with her? When she asked, Adam just gave a laugh and said "I will always love you, you're my Jane, but I have a life with Hilary."

It dawned on Joan what Adam was saying, and she knew he was completely right. "We'll be friends, won't we?" she asked.

"Cha, of course," Adam replied as he wiped away a single tear from Joan's cheek.

Joan was genuinely happy as Adam pulled her to her feet, and they gave a friendly cuddle.

"Jane, will you come over for dinner tomorrow night at my house? I'm sure Hilary would like to meet you more officially.

"Yeah, of course Adam," said Joan thankfully.

He scrawled down his address on a piece of paper, and Joan got in her car and drove away, admittedly looking forward to the following night.

At Grace's house, Luke was sitting in shock. Marry Grace. He couldn't deny it was what he had always wanted, but this was so sudden. And he wasn't even sure if Grace wasn't going to change back into the highly groomed and overly-well-presented monster again.

As if on cue, Luke's mobile rang. He stepped out of the room to answer it. His heart fell when he heard whose voice was on the other side of the room.

"We won't that money. Meet us outside the high school in thirty minutes and leave the money on bench out the front,"

"It's a cheque," said Luke quickly.

"Well, then leave the cheque on the bench, stupid!" said the voice scathingly. "you had better be there,"

And then the line went dead.


	14. Debt Free

Alright, almost at the end. Please review. I still want four.

DISCLAIMER: I own no Joan of Arcadia stuff

* * *

Luke was about to go to the high school, and exited through Grace's back door. He sat in his car, with the cheque carefully put in his shirt pocket. He was about to start the engine, when Grace slid into the passenger seat next to Luke. He didn't argue. He didn't have time. It took at least twenty minutes to get to the high school, which was without traffic, accidents or any other hindrances. He put his foot to the ground.

They were barely outside of Grace's property, when Luke decided top tell Grace about the situation. He thought, at the very least, she deserved to know why he had just taken her money, especially now she had revealed her heart to him.

Grace was polite and nodded all the way through, with the occasional comment. Luke was sincerely happy for her company. He was sure if he only had himself to talk to, he would turn and run in the opposite direction.

They only endured a few minutes of silence before they parked out the front of the old school building. It had taken them twenty-five minutes, which left five minutes to make sure that the cheque was in the right place. Grace stayed in the car while Luke scrambled out and put the large cheque on the bench. He retreated to the car, to meet a nervous looking Grace.

"You know, I was serious before, about marrying each other. Luke, you have been the only person I can truly be myself around. In fact I hate being anyone else, like that perfectly presented thing I was on the night of the barbeque. I hated that girl."

Luke nodded. He liked the old Grace best, and the barbeque incident was still vivid in his mind.

"Grace, I love you too, but aren't we rushing into things a little?" he asked hesitantly.

"Luke, we've been waiting for years. It's not as if we don't know just about everything about each other. Just because we haven't seen each other for a long time, doesn't mean our love has faded. Does it?" she added.

Luke sat in numbness for thirty seconds. Here he was with Grace, waiting for a mafia-like man to collect his debt, and they were talking about marriage. It just seemed a little sudden. Marriage was a, hopefully, lifelong commitment. Was he ready for that? But in a way, Grace was right. He had never truly fallen with anyone else apart from Grace. She still made him weak at the knees, he couldn't deny it. Without thinking anymore, Luke turned and looked into Grace's eyes, and said confidently "Grace Polk, I would be honored, absolutely honored, to be your husband."

Grace gave a little scream, and flung her arms around Luke, which was a little difficult in the confined space of the car, and they were about to lock lips, when out of the corner of Luke's eye, a tall man with vast shoulders wandered over to the bench in front of the school.

Luke abruptly pulled out of Grace's embrace. She was about to question this action, when she too saw the man. They both held their breath. The man bent over and picked up the cheque. He examined it for a while before pocketing it and walking away. Although in actual life, this took only twenty seconds, to Grace and Luke, it seemed to take hours.

The man was walkin very slowly, and Grace and Luke were both low in their seats to be less likely to be seen. They couldn't be found now they had gotten so far. Finally the man was well out of sight, they both gave a small cry of accomplishment, and picked up where they left off, and passionately kissed…

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Luke rang his mother and announced that Grace was coming over for tea. Helen was quite excited about this, and decided she was going to make a feast. At the time, she wasn't sure why Luke had wanted Grace over, but his voice over the phone sounded happier and least tense then it had in a long time. Whatever had happened, it was good.

Helen ran upstairs to find Kevin and Joan. Joan was in the shower, so Helen visited her son first.

"Kevin, Grace is coming over for tea, so I thought I'd make a bit of a get-together of it. Do you want to invite anyone?"

Kevin stared at his mother. Invite someone? Who could he invite? And then the answer hit him like a detention in homeroom. "Heidi, I want to invite Heidi Cummings, Fiona's daughter."

Helen left the room, feeling even happier. If she was not mistaken, Kevin was highly interested in Heidi, and Kevin had avoided any interest in any girls for a long time. She went back to Joan's room, and now she was out of the shower.

"Hi honey! Where did you go earlier."

Joan, who had a towel wrapped around her hair, and wore nothing but a bath robe said casually, "Just meeting up with some old friends,"

"Oh, okay," said Helen, although she wasn't completely satisfied with the answer. "Well, would you like to invite someone over for tea tonight? Grace and Heidi are coming over. It's just a bit of a party."

"What for?"

"Oh, nothing really. Luke just wanted Grace over, so I decided we could make a good old-fashioned 'do out of it,"

"Oh, okay," said Joan. She knew who she wanted to invite, but Adam was out of reach. But then again, their meeting earlier that day had opened her eyes up to a relationship with Adam. Not love, but friendship.

"Well, I guess you could ask Adam and Hilary. I would love to catch up properly."

By the time Helen reached the stairs, she was beyond happy. She hadn't felt like this since before Kevin's accident. She felt genuinely happy and at peace with everyone that was important to her. It had so long, in fact, that she began to skip her way to the kitchen.

* * *

OK, let's see those reviews, unless you don't want to read the end. Just two more chapters to go! Love Em's Pride 


	15. Love

A few hours later, the Girardi kitchen was emitting intoxicating aromas. Will was cooking some of his best Italian dishes. No one was allowed to enter the kitchen while he was in there – in these cases, Luke, Joan and Kevin used to call him the Kitchen Nazi.

Heidi and the Rove family had both accepted their invitations, so Helen was busy setting the table for thirteen. Joan was running around tidying the house, and Kevin was in the shower, getting ready.

Grace and Luke arrived home at five o'clock. At seven o'clock, Heidi arrived. Kevin became very jittery as soon as she entered the house. It wasn't like him to be nervous around women. Adam and his family arrived twenty minutes later. Hilary, to Joan's disgust, was perfectly polite, pretty and poised. The two children were also adorable. Deep down, Joan was hoping for a flaw, any flaw, which might show signs of Hilary and Adam's relationship becoming weak, but there were none.

They finally started eating at eight o'clock. The two children, Eliza and Michael had already eaten, and this was the reason for their lateness to the Girardi house. After Will's fantastic meal, they tucked into a rich creamy cheesecake. To everybody's surprise, Will wasn't the cook of the marvelous dessert, but it was Ken. He used to be a baker 'back in his day'. But what was most amazing was the fact that Will had let someone into the kitchen while he was cooking.

When they had finished dessert, Luke looked over to Grace, and she nodded. Luke cleared his throat, and got the attention of the small audience.

"Um, excuse me…everyone?"

At these words, Helen sat up a little straighter, and Will and Judy snapped out of a deep conversation. Grace got up and stood with Luke.

"Well, me and Grace have been doing a lot of talking," said Luke, although he knew it was a bit of a lie, "and we have decided that we don't want to live without each other. We have realised that we are true sole mates. We're getting married…" he finished.

At first, both Will and Helen looked as if they would scream at him for making a stupid decision, but then Will's expression softened, and he jumped up and gave the couple a hug. Helen just burst into tears and was muttering something about 'about time, I want grandkids,'

Grace and Luke eventually pulled away from their proud father and sobbing mother. They settled down at the table again, and happy babble broke out. Joan was asking about wedding dresses, already, and Will and Helen were muttering to themselves and occasionally looking over at Luke. The Rove family was busy entertaining each other.

Luke joined Joan and Grace's conversation. It had turned to bridesmaid dresses. He was shocked at how quickly everything was moving. He was expecting a bit more shock, or even reluctance, not complete happiness. But then again, he knew his family would be supporting of him in whatever he did.

Suddenly, Helen rose from the table and cleared her voice.

"Uh, excuse me," she said.

"I just wanted to say how proud I am of my three children. Since moving back to Arcadia, I feel you have all fought your fears. Joan, you have come to peace with your self and others. Kevin, you have kept your head held high in the face of possible humiliation, defeat and feeling of lack of purpose. And Luke, I know that you will make the best husband in the world to this lovely woman here with us.

"So, before I cry, I just want to say how much I love you. Not just my children, but their friends, and, of course, my husband. Thanks, that's all…"

Not a single person sitting around the table had a dry eye. There was silence, until Kevin said weakly, "I love you too mum," and then an echo of agreement sounded. Helen let a slippery silver droplet slip from her eye, and whispered, "Thankyou,"

Then, Helen's body went stiff. Her eyes were glued open, and she then began to slip off her chair. Everyone sat in dumbstruck silence, with open mouths.

"She's having another stroke!" cried Will.

Everyone ran to where Helen was lying, except Luke who rang an ambulance. From the phone, he could see Will draped over his wife's still body, Kevin crying into Heidi's tummy, Joan tryoing to and put her mother in the recovery position by pulling Will away, and the Rove's were ushering their children into another room.

Once Luke had finished on the phone he ran back to his frantic family. Will was still crying and stroking Helen's hair, whispering, "I love you, I love you, I love you…"


	16. Forgiveness

Will, Joan, Kevin, Luke, Grace and Adam were waiting at the hospital. It had been over and hour since they had arrived and hey had heard no news on Helen's condition. Adam had sent the rest of his family home, Heidi was still at the Girardi's, with Judy and Ken, making a few phone calls to people, her own mother included.

Luke was trying to get a doctor to tell the family what was going on, but was so far unsuccessful. Will was simply staring at a sterile white wall, as was Kevin, while Joan was pacing up and down the hospital corridor. Grace and Luke were talking quietly in the corner.

Most were thinking about what had just happened. The ambulance arrived within fifteen minutes, and Will had gone with Helen. The rest had piled into two cars, and followed the emergency vehicle at a super speed.

Finally, a tall young doctor emerged from a door, and called for the Girardi's. Grace and Adam let the other four talk to the doctor in private.

The doctor wearily took off his glasses, and unceremoniously polished them. As he put them back on, he looked up at the family, and began to speak.

"I'm afraid we have some bad news. The stroke that your wife suffered did some major damage. We tried everything we could to save her, but I'm sorry to say that she passed away about five minutes ago. I am deeply sorry for your loss."

Joan, Kevin, Luke and Will stood in stunned silence. This couldn't be happening. Helen couldn't be dead. But the doctor did not burst out laughing and yell "Just Kidding," nor did Helen enter the room, giggling at the joke.

A minute or two later, Will finally broke the silence, "Thank you doctor." Even as he said the words, he knew they sounded stupid. He wasn't thankful for the news.

No one had cried yet. They were all too shocked. Grace and Adam ran over to the family. They didn't have to ask what the news was, as it was written on their faces. They just joined the family in a group hug.

The funeral was a small one, but beautiful, and everyone knew Helen would have loved it. Flowers everywhere in an old Catholic church in the country. Will, Joan, Kevin and Luke all participated in the eulogy.

Just after the service, Will stood with his three children, looking at his wife's headstone. They all had tears of silence running down their cheeks. The bitter wind, which was tickling the fresh purple violets on the grave, made everything seem worse then it already was. Will was taking long shaky breaths. None of the children had seen him like this before.

"How are we going to survive?" he asked seemingly to no one, but Joan suspected he was talking to God.

"We can do it dad. We have each other," said Joan, her voice floating off with the wind.

The four of them turned and headed towards the car.

Once they arrived back to their house, the wake had already begun. People had travelled from all over the country. Aunts, uncles, cousins, relatives they never knew they had. It was a relaxed, but sad, evening for all involved.

So many people came to pay their respects. Friedman, Lily, Beth, Adam's dad Carl, Stevie and Vice-principal Price were among the faces. Stories of Helen's generosity, caring nature and selflessness were shared. Joan remembered the time when she was six, when Helen had personally yelled at a boy who had stolen the streamers from Joan's bike handles. Luke reminisced on the time when Helen had written to NASA on behalf of Luke when he broke his arm when he was twelve. Kevin remembered the time she had gotten a professional baseball player to speak to his school about how to succeed. Will told the story of when he met Helen. By the time his story ended, there was not one dry eye in the room.

But the bad times were also spoken of; Luke's trouble with bullies at school, Kevin's borderline school results and accident, Joan's friendship problems and Lyme disease and Will's ongoing trouble with his career. Everyone realised that all of Helen's problems were related to some one she cared about. Well all but one, but the only people who knew, didn't feel as if it was the right time for it…

It was almost six o'clock when a late arrival knocked at the door. Kevin answered it, and saw a complete stranger standing and smiling down at him.

"Hi," she said. "I'm here to see Joan Girardi,"

Kevin was a little hesitant; he didn't like to make a habit of letting strange women into the house, but led the girl into the lounge room where Joan was lying on the couch, talking to Great Uncle Alistair. When she saw the girl, she sat bolt upright. "Bonnie?"

The two girls stared at each other for awhile, in which time, Kevin had realised who was standing before him. He made a hand gesture to show he was prepared to show her the door, but Joan shook her head, and led Bonnie through the door to the kitchen.

"Hi," said Bonnie awkwardly. "I read about your mother in the newspaper. I'm really sorry," she added.

Joan merely nodded.

"I just wanted to come and say sorry for any trouble I've caused. I didn't think about how you feel about Adam helping me. Brent's dead by the way. Drug overdose. Serves him right,"

Joan could sense the bitterness in her voice, and could also see tears in her eyes.

"Oh Bonnie, it's alright. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like I did. I'm so sorry, really," she said.

"Oh Joan," cried Bonnie, before catapulting herself into Joan's arms. "Thank you thank you!" she sobbed.

Joan and Bonnie hugged for a few moments, before pulling away, and went to sit and talk about the past couple of years.

"Bonnie, don't worry," said Joan about an hour later, when Bonnie tried to apologise again. "I don't blame you. It was Brent."

"But you only came to my house because Adam was there. If I didn't make him come over, you wouldn't have come over, and Brent wouldn't have done what he did, and then you would stay in Arcadia, and then you and Adam would still be together…oh it's my entire fault!"

"Bonnie, seriously, it's not. I should have trusted Adam. None of this would have happened if I just had a little faith. But it did. So whatever happens, happens for a reason. Okay Bonnie?"

Bonnie nodded sadly, but then she gave a small laugh and added playfully, "I'm sorry anyway,"

Joan smiled back.

It was then that Joan realised that people were made to be forgiven. She had forgiven Bonnie and Adam, and now Joan couldn't be happier. She could be great friend's with them, without any bitterness or anger. Helen had forgiven Joan and Kevin, even though they had fought and been angry. Thinking back many years, Kevin had forgiven Andy for his mistake, and Adam had forgiven Joan for the first time after she ruined his sculpture.

Maybe if everyone had a little forgiveness, the world would be little nicer…

**THE END**

I think that's better. It isn't so jumpy. I kind of want to do a bit a sequel to it, but is that idea any good. I'm on a bit of a dead end for Point of View at the moment.


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